Unknown (2006 film)

Not to be confused with Unknown (2011 film).
Unknown

Promotional film poster
Directed by Simon Brand
Produced by Rick Lashbrook
Darby Parker
John S. Schwartz
Written by Matthew Waynee
Starring Jim Caviezel
Greg Kinnear
Bridget Moynahan
Joe Pantoliano
Barry Pepper
Jeremy Sisto
Peter Stormare
Adam Rodríguez
Victoria Justice
Music by Angelo Milli
Cinematography Steve Yedlin
Edited by Luis Carballar
Paul Trejo
Distributed by IFC First Take
Release dates
  • November 3, 2006 (2006-11-03)
Running time
 85 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Unknown is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Colombian filmmaker Simon Brand and starring Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Bridget Moynahan, Joe Pantoliano and Barry Pepper about a group of men kidnapped and locked in a factory with no memory of how they arrived there. Piecing together information around them, they realize that some were kidnapped and some were the kidnappers. They decide they must work together to figure out how to get away before the gang that captured them returns.

The film was previewed before a theater audience for the first time in New York City on December 13, 2005.

Plot

In an abandoned warehouse, a handful of men slowly regain consciousness, but they have amnesia and have no idea who they are, where they are, or what has happened to them. All five seem to have been in some sort of serious scuffle; one is tied up on a chair (Joe Pantoliano), another has been handcuffed and shot (Jeremy Sisto), a third has a broken nose (Greg Kinnear), and the other two have their share of scrapes and bruises (Jim Caviezel and Barry Pepper). Everyone is asleep at the start. Caviezel's character wakes up first. He checks to make sure everyone is alive and then decides to walk around and try to find out what is going on. He discovers that all the windows have bars over them and the only door has a mechanized lock. He finds a ringing phone and picks it up. The caller asks what is going on and Caviezel tells the caller that everyone is fine. The Caller tells him he will be back in a few hours. Meanwhile, somewhere else a money drop off is going down. Mr. Coles has been kidnapped.

Back in the warehouse, as the others wake up, Pantoliano's character asks to be untied. As Caviezel is going to untie him, Pepper's character convinces him not to, telling Caviezel that Pantoliano is obviously not on the same side as them or he wouldn't have been tied up. As Caviezel and Pepper start looking for the keys to release Sisto from the handcuffs and treat his wound, Kinnear wakes up and gets into a fight with Caviezel and Pepper. Back at the drop off, the signal in the money bag goes silent and the cops rush in to find the money gone.

In the warehouse, the men find a newspaper, which features a story about the kidnapping of a wealthy and well-known businessman named Coles. The men begin to suspect that they were involved with the kidnapping, but no one is sure if they are on the right or wrong side of the law – or if one of them might happen to be the victim. Eventually, each of the characters begin to have flashes of memory.

At some point a gun is recovered, and after a scuffle, Caviezel wins possession of it. Various attempts to free themselves, first by trying to attract attention through a small hole in the wall, and then by shooting out a window high above the warehouse floor, fail. The men decide to work together to fight off the criminals who are coming so all of them can go their separate ways.

Sisto's character recalls a harrowing incident from his childhood where he was comforted by his friend. He claims Caviezel is his friend, but Caviezel cannot remember if this is true or not. Shortly after, Sisto's character dies from his wounds.

Elsewhere, the police slowly piece together who they believe the kidnappers are. They show the photos of the suspects to Coles' wife (Bridget Moynahan). Sisto, Pantoliano, and Caviezel are all included on the photo sheet.

Back at the warehouse, the rest of the gang is returning from the money pickup. As they enter, Pantoliano remembers that he is part of the gang and tries to warn them of the trap. In the confusion, he is shot, along with one of the gang members. After Pepper is pushed out at gunpoint, the others surrender. Caviezel, at this point, recalls that he is part of the gang and participated in the kidnapping, but cannot accept the fact that he is a criminal. He is greeted by the gang leader and is chastised for letting things go so wrong in the warehouse. (A fight broke out between kidnappers and victims. Chemicals spilled during the fight released fumes that rendered everyone unconscious and induced temporary amnesia.) He is tasked with killing Pepper and Kinnear and tells them he has to kill them or he'll be killed himself.

After hearing gunshots out by the grave Pantoliano had dug before losing his memory, the gang leader comes up to Caviezel and asks Caviezel if the gang leader is looking at a cop, meaning Caviezel. This sparks a memory that he is a cop and has been working undercover in the gang for many months. Just as the gang leader looks over to see an empty grave, Kinnear come out of the shadows to attack the gang members. In the fight, Kinnear is killed, as are the remaining gang members. Pepper saves Caviezel's life by coming back to shoot the gang leader, who has a gun leveled at Caviezel. As this unfolds, the police arrive on the scene. Caviezel is praised for having survived so long undercover.

Pepper turns out to be Coles, the wealthy businessman, and as both are being treated at separate ambulances, Coles' wife arrives and hugs her husband. Caviezel looks over at the couple and upon seeing the wife, he remembers that they have been having an affair. Caviezel is the one who arranged the whole kidnapping and had planned out the score to get rich and win the girl at the same time. Clearly horrified at what he has done, he takes the ransom money to the officers at the scene. The movie ends with Coles introducing his wife to Caviezel.

Cast

Production

Portions of the film were shot in the Coachella Valley, California.[1]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 41 reviews.[2] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 44 out of 100, based on 17 reviews.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Palm Springs Visitors Center. "Coachella Valley Feature Film Production 1920-2011". Filming in Palm Springs. Palm Springs, CA. Retrieved October 1, 2012. ♦ Download (Downloadable PDF file)
  2. ↑ "Unknown - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  3. ↑ "Unknown (2006): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-10-13.

External links

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